Posted September 30, 2002

Evil Barbie

Regarding "J.C. Penney Catalog: GI Joe Commandeers Barbie's Dream House," by Eric Garris:

Apparently you aren't old enough to have played with or even seen all the war toys from World War I and World War II not to mention the older ones from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

I am old enough to have had those toys from World War II and it didn't make me a warmonger as you people seem to think when such toys are made for kids. I bet you are even antigun ownership. That seems to go hand in hand with your type thinking. Now tell me how great it would have been if Japan and Hitler had won that war. We had enough appeasers then and the only thing appeasers ever accomplish is surrender to the enemy. I don't like war any better than you but your attitude only gives aid and comfort to those who are trying to destroy us. Thankfully appeasers and those against self defense are in the minority or you wouldn't be able to protest. Whether you like it or not the villains have to be eliminated and had we not won World War II more than likely you wouldn't be here. The majority protected your right to take ridiculous positions against self-defense and survival. Remember that the next time you rail against our need to take action to defend out nation.

~ Donald E. Clem

Eric Garris replies:

I was not aware that Barbie was part of the Axis of Evil.

The Smell Test

Just found my way to your site (via WorkingForChange). I haven't begun to get through the impressive amount of stuff you folks have there but wanted to express my satisfaction at one of the first things I stumbled upon therein. The September 13, '02 column by Justin Raimondo "Why This War?" makes what I believe is the most obvious of observations as to why our government is in such a panic to invade Iraq, that being not that there is a danger they will attack us but rather Israel. I'm sure this idea has occurred to others but I have yet to see it stated outright even among alternative sources.

There is of course no chance the mainstream press will get anywhere near such speculation so it is essential that we the people force debate over meaningful topics such as this... Though I should add that you shouldn't have to tell anyone -- the pieces just don't fit otherwise. I continue to be hugely disappointed that the bulk of the public cannot manage to see beyond the bullsh*t peddled by the "major" media and come up opinions of their own that at least pass the smell test.

~ Tom R., California

Awliyaat's Nuances

Regarding "'Pro-Democracy' Think Tank is Front for Israeli Lobby," by Ismail Royer:

This email is to give acknowledgment. It was an interesting article. I also wanted to mention, however, that the Quranic term awliyaat can be translated as friends as many translators mistakenly have done. You are right to say that it means protectors or guardians but I wanted to make it clear that the word has many nuances.

~ Juan A.

Peculiarly Libertarian Idea

Regarding "Al Gore, Warmonger Lite," by Justin Raimondo:

Interesting article -- good of you to criticize Gore for his warmongering.

My bone to pick [is] with...: "But of course 'nation-building' is empire-building; it is the ultimate exercise of the imperial prerogative to build a nation -­ which normally evolves over time -­ from scratch."

Give me, please, one example of a nation -- any nation -- that "evolved from scratch." This is a peculiarly "big L Libertarian" idea: the market is like gravity, and it just kind of flows until bad people want to pervert it, or something like that. No nation evolved from scratch -- it's simply a question of which group of bullies prevailed in the struggle for power, and how compassionate and enlightened were the advisors they had to hire after they owned everything or most of it.

~ Tom Stinnett

Reelection

Thanks very much for your terrific work!

It occurs to me since politicians seem to be using this war as a mechanism to bolster their chances of reelection we might do something to dissuade them from voting for war. If every antiwar person in the United States wrote a letter or made a phone call to their "elected" officials and told them that they were going to work vigorously to ensure that they not get reelected if they vote to support Bush's call to arms, they might at least think twice about supporting this national tragedy.

~ Austin Moran, Clifton Park, New York

November Elections

Regarding Christopher Snively's letter of September 19:

"How come the U.N. gets only a few days to decide its course of action while Bush walked around dazed for weeks/months mumbling that he hadn't made up his mind yet?"

The answer to Mr. Snively's questions, on both counts, is: because the election's in November.

~ Kevin Carson

What Americans Can Easily Do

The 'Right to Bear Arms' has always been seen as an American peculiarity, maybe as a result of a Wild West mentality or some inherent irresponsibility and is a right that has never been understood by the rest of the world. It is quite clear though, that as the American government slowly but surely spreads the tentacles of an empire throughout the world, that the only people who can possibly oppose this military behemoth are Americans themselves.

In light of the above, 'the Right to Bear Arms' is a clear indication that Americans can and must oppose those who want to turn the 'Land of the Free' into the 'Land of the Oppressor' and the land of Big Brother. It would be fanciful to believe that Americans will turn their guns on their own representatives, the citizenry is outgunned, and in many cases, too apathetic to be bothered. But what Americans can easily do is put pen to paper, write to their representatives and write out cheques to those who support their view and spread the word.

Most of us here in the UK, and no doubt the rest of Europe, have given up on thinking that our self serving leaders will do anything concrete to oppose their American master. I'm hoping that Americans still have the sense and the guts to stop their government from going down the route that is going to guarantee them and us less security and a much more turbulent world.

~ Neil Lowrie, Loughborough, UK

Editor's note:

Backtalk editor Sam Koritz is profiled in the Real World section of October's Smart Money magazine (print version only, not available online).